Craig Hasel

Craig Steven Hasel passed away in his sleep on Saturday, June 11, 2011. He left behind three daughters Michelle, Allison and Amy, son-in-law Mark, granddaughter Stacia and mother-in-law Florence. Craig was born in Hicksville, Long Island New York on April 18, 1951, to Robert and Gloria Hasel. He graduated from Hicksville High School in 1969 where he was one of the all-time leading scorers for their lacrosse team. When Craig arrived at the University of Arizona in August of 1969, the Lacrosse team had just stopped functioning as a varsity and Craig wanted to continue his lacrosse career, so he worked extremely hard contacting former players and they started what is now the University Arizona Men's Lacrosse Team, affectionately known as The Laxcats. Wikipedia and www.Laxcats.com express it this way: "In the early 70’s Craig Hasel, a transplanted Long Island lacrosse fanatic, stepped up and kept the tradition alive." In the early 1970’s he started dating Barbara Woliansky who moved from West Orange, New Jersey to attend the University. Craig and Barbara Married on July 16, 1976, and started a family in Tucson in 1981 with the birth of their daughter Michelle followed by Allison in 1983 and Amy in 1987. Craig lead a career in the restaurant business where he was manager for restaurants such as The Plankhouse, Keatons, Smugglers Inn, CoCo’s, Sizzlers, Denny’s and Village Inn. Craig was often described as the best in the business. He loved talking to people and making them smile. Craig succeeded his wife’s passing in 1994 and raised his three daughters as a single father. In 2005, he welcomed the birth of his only grandchild, Stacia. He quickly assumed the role of grandpa and cherished time spent taking her to the park, picking her up from school and simply spending quality time together. Craig had a special and infectious personality and was liked by everyone he met. He was known for his unconditional love and thrived on the companionship of his friends and family. He taught his family that it always important to say, “I love you” after every conversation no matter how insignificant. Craig had a big heart and was a kind hearted person who loved everyone he came in contact with. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.